


Stay

by Smowkie



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Cursed Derek, Derek Hale Takes Care of Stiles Stilinski, Drunk Stiles, Feral Derek, Friends to Lovers, Hurt Derek, Hypothermia, M/M, Nudity, POV Alternating, Sharing Body Heat, Sharing a Bed, Stiles Stilinski Takes Care Of Derek Hale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-06 02:24:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13401471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smowkie/pseuds/Smowkie
Summary: Stiles had just gotten off his fourth long shift in a row and was looking forward to going home to his bed. He had plans to spend the next day, his first day off in more than a week, in bed or on the couch with junk food and bad tv. When he approached his Jeep and saw Derek on the ground next to the passenger door he groaned but hurried over.“Derek, what the fuck? What happened?”Or: another 5+1 bed sharing fic that nobody asked for.





	1. Hurt

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this fic in november 2016, wrote half of the first and second chapter, left it alone for a few months, got back to it, planned it out better and wrote some more, left it alone again, and then I finally finished in november 2017. I've looked at it so much that I'm tired of it, I go from loving it and thinking it's really good to hating it and just wanting to delete the whole thing, but I'm gonna publish it now. I'm _finally_ gonna publish this. Oh god. My first chaptered fic, and my longest finished one too (total word count about 18,4k).
> 
>  
> 
> I didn't tag other characters because they're so minor. Scott is in this though. It's not very Scott positive, but it's not Scott negative either, jsyk.
> 
> POV is alternating, but clearly marked.
> 
> This is unbetaed, but thoroughly looked over. Any and all lingering mistakes are mine, please leave them alone. =)

• **•S•** •

Stiles had just gotten off his fourth long shift in a row and was looking forward to going home to his bed. He had plans to spend the next day, his first day off in more than a week, in bed or on the couch with junk food and bad tv. When he approached his Jeep and saw Derek on the ground next to the passenger door he groaned but hurried over.

“Derek, what the fuck? What happened?”

He took in his slumped over form, his torn clothes, the blood stains and the clearly unconscious vibe he had going and sighed as he crouched down next to him. He gently placed a hand on Derek’s cheek and his eyes fluttered a little.

“Derek, are you with me?” he asked and Derek looked up at him and gave him a weak imitation of a smile.

“Stiles,” he said and passed out.

“Fuck.” Stiles patted his cheek. “Come on, Derek, wake up.” 

Derek groaned a little and Stiles sighed. 

“Come on buddy, I don’t want to punch you,” he said and Derek opened his eyes and looked at him. 

“Stiles,” he said again and smiled, this time a more proper smile. 

“Yeah, it’s me. What happened?”

“Fairies,” Derek said and lifted a hand to touch Stiles’ cheek, nearly poking him in the eye. 

“Fairies, huh? What did they do?” Stiles asked, but Derek was mostly out of it again, his hand dropped to the ground and his eyes closed. 

Instead of trying to wake him up again Stiles decided to check for damage. He realized he was wearing running clothes, a pair of track pants, a t-shirt and his running shoes. The t-shirt was torn in several places and he had still bleeding cuts on his shoulder, arm, and chest, and he had a nasty bump on his head, but Stiles didn’t see any blood there. The bump on his head could explain why he was unconscious, but overall the damage wasn’t too bad. He got his phone out and called Deaton. 

“Stiles,” he said as he picked up. 

“Yeah, hi, I have Derek here, beaten up, a bump on his head, a few cuts, nothing too major. He said it was fairies, but I couldn’t get more out of him while he was awake,” Stiles said quickly. 

“Okay. Fairies have a sort of poison that makes werewolves something akin to high, it’s not dangerous, as far as I know, it’s just something to make them easier to control and defeat. If the wounds aren’t too bad I recommend to take him home and let him sleep it off. He might have a concussion if he has a bump on his head, but it shouldn’t be a problem with his healing.”

Stiles groaned and mourned his plans for going home to his bed. 

“Okay, thanks,” he said. 

“If he’s still unconscious in half an hour, call me,” Deaton said.

“Yeah, okay,” Stiles promised and they said goodbye and hung up. He pocketed his phone again and looked at Derek. 

“Okay buddy, how are we going to do this?” he asked and Derek opened his eyes to look up at him. 

“Stiles.” His smile was a bit weak, but it was genuine, and Stiles smiled back.

“Yeah, still me,” Stiles said. “Can you get up for me?”

Derek nodded before wincing, a hand coming up to touch his head. “Ouch.”

“Yeah, you’ve got a nasty bump there.”

Derek looked up at Stiles again and smiled. 

“Stiles,” he said again. 

“Yes, Stiles,” Stiles agreed before he rose to his feet and held out his hands for Derek. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

Derek did a fairly good impression of a newborn foal as Stiles helped him into the Jeep, but they made it, and Stiles made sure to put the seatbelt on him before carefully closing the door and hurrying around to the driver’s side. When he got in, Derek looked at him with those big eyes and smiled. 

“Stiles,” he said again and Stiles nodded and smiled back at him. 

“Still me,” he said and Derek clumsily touched his cheek again before passing out. Stiles was grateful he had stayed conscious long enough to be able to help to get himself in the car at least. 

The drive to Derek’s house took almost half an hour, and Stiles talked most of it, complaining about missing his bed and beaten up werewolves that ruined his plans, and he tried to get Derek to respond. Derek was unconscious most of the way though, but he did occasionally mumble something more or less intelligible in response, the only really clear moments he had were the dozens of times he said “Stiles” with awe in his voice as if Stiles was something amazing he just noticed. 

Derek lived in a big house in the middle of nowhere, and when they got there both of Derek’s cars were in the driveway. Stiles knew better than to be surprised, Derek’s runs were insane, but it did make him wonder why he had ended up in town. He usually kept to the woods. He parked as close to the door he could and unbuckled Derek’s seat belt before he got out of the car. 

“Hey buddy, time to get you inside,” he said after opening the passenger door. Derek looked at him and a smile spread on his face. 

“Stiles,” he said and Stiles smiled back at him. 

“Yeah, still me. Come on, let’s go inside and get you cleaned up.”

Derek frowned and looked down at himself. He touched a bloodstain on his t-shirt and when he looked at Stiles again the frown was gone. 

“Yeah, okay,” he said and started to get out of the car. He stumbled and it was only thanks to Stiles that he managed to stay on his feet. “Oops,” he said and grinned sheepishly.

Stiles huffed a laugh and steadied him with an arm around his waist as they went inside. He led him to the bathroom connected to his bedroom and had him sit down on the toilet as he fetched clean clothes and a towel. 

“Can I check your wounds?” he asked and Derek nodded and clumsily started to take off his shirt. Stiles had to help him when his arms managed to get tangled in it above his head, but when it was off he saw that most of the wounds were practically healed, and none were actively bleeding.

“You had a bump on your head too, can you lean forward for me so I can check that too?” Derek tilted his head immediately, but Stiles still caught the blush on his face. He decided to ignore that for the moment and looked at the bump instead. It was almost gone, just a fraction of the size it had been when he found him, which made Stiles relax a lot. He had stayed awake without problems since they got out of the car and with the bump almost gone he was sure the possible concussion was almost healed as well. 

“Can you shower by yourself?” he asked and crouched down to untie Derek’s shoes, and Derek looked at the shower before nodding. 

“Yes,” he said with determination.

“I’ll be right outside if you need me, okay?”

“Okay.” Derek smiled at him again and lifted a hand to gently touch his cheek. “Thank you, Stiles,” he said softly. 

“No problem, big guy,” Stiles said just as softly. He cleared his throat and stood up. “I’ll wait out here.”

He sat on the foot of Derek’s bed to wait. It didn’t sound like he had any troubles showering and Stiles sent a quick text to Deaton, letting him know Derek was already better. He then focused on thinking about what he needed to do before he could go to bed, so he wouldn’t be thinking about one of his best friends naked in the shower just a few feet away. 

It didn’t take long before the shower turned off, and a few minutes later Derek softly called his name. He walked over to the door and carefully peeked into the bathroom where Derek was sitting with just a towel wrapped haphazardly around his waist. 

“Yeah?” Stiles asked and Derek looked dejectedly at him. 

“This is super complicated,” he said and held up the pajama pants and t-shirt Stiles had brought for him. “Can you help me?” he asked in a small voice. 

“Sure,” Stiles said. He knew how much Derek valued control, and he understood how this could be hard for him, so he did his best to not make a big deal out of it as he helped him dress. Derek was mostly smiling at him though, looking at him like he hung the moon or something equally amazing, and Stiles was helpless to do anything but smile back at him. 

After helping him get dressed Stiles got Derek to his bed.

“I need to use the shower too, and I’ll borrow something to sleep in from you, okay?” he asked. 

“Will you stay?” Derek asked and Stiles nodded. 

“Yeah, I’ll stay. I’ll check in on you in a little bit, okay?”

“Okay.” Derek clumsily pulled his cover up and smiled. “Good.”

Stiles smiled at him before fetching a towel and some clothes for himself. He used the shower in Derek’s en-suite and when he was done he went to the kitchen to raid the fridge. He found some leftover chicken and other goodies to make filling sandwiches and he poured them each a glass of milk. When he was done he put it all on a tray along with a bottle of water. 

Derek was sleeping when he got back, so he put the tray on the nightstand and sat on the empty side of the bed before nudging his shoulder. 

“Yo, sleepy head,” he said. Derek groaned but looked up at him and he held out a plate. “Eat.”

Derek scrambled up so he was sitting next to Stiles and he looked completely awed. 

“You made me food?” he asked. 

“Yeah, I need to eat and you always get hungry after healing. It’s just milk and a sandwich. I used your fancy bread,” Stiles said and nudged Derek’s hand with the plate so he would take it. 

They ate in silence, Stiles was exhausted and Derek seemed to be focusing very hard on his food, but they wolfed it down pretty quick, and Stiles leaned back against the headboard when he was done.

“So, what happened?” he asked.

“I was running,” Derek started and then he frowned. “I was running, and I was close to town, on that little road to the pastures you know? And then there were fairies, I don’t know, they were upset and I tried to talk to them, but they got their claws out and started slashing, and I think I knocked one out and then I ran.”

“How did you end up by my car?”

“I don’t know,” Derek lied, and Stiles frowned. Derek usually was a horrible liar, at least to Stiles, but right then he seemed to have lost all abilities he had ever had to lie.

“Really?” he asked softly and Derek looked at him with huge eyes.

“I… uh, I ran on instinct,” he said and looked at his hands, and he sounded more sincere, so Stiles let it go.

“Okay. I’ll let you sleep now, I’ll be in the guest room,” he said and Derek looked at him like someone had just stolen his puppy and poured sand in his drink. “What?”

“You’re not staying?” Derek asked in a small voice.

“I’ll be down the hall… do you want me to stay in here?”

“Yes. Please stay.”

“Okay, I’ll stay in here,” Stiles said and the smile he got from Derek was blinding.

He put aside the dishes and made Derek drink some water before he scooted down and got under the covers. Derek immediately curled up next to him and when Stiles looked at him he looked unsure, but he scooted a little closer and carefully put his head on Stiles’ shoulder. Stiles moved his arm so it wasn't trapped between them, and his hand automatically went to Derek’s head. He scratched softly and Derek sighed and relaxed so much he seemed to be melting. Stiles smiled to himself and it wasn’t long before he was sleeping.

 

• **•D•** •

Derek woke up with a headache, which in itself was strange, but stranger still was that he wasn’t alone in bed. He had a small internal panic before he realized he was at home, in his own bed, and it was Stiles that was snoring softly in his ear.

He vaguely remembered the night before. He had been running and then there was the angry fairy that Derek had managed to knock out, or at least get him off himself enough that he could run away. He had run on instinct as the poison clouded his thoughts, trying to get somewhere safe, and when he saw the Jeep and heard Stiles leaving the station he had relaxed and tried to sit down on the ground, only to stumble and smack his head on the footrest of the Jeep. 

It was blurry after that, Stiles’ worried face, Stiles’ smiling face, Stiles in the Jeep, Stiles in the bathroom, Stiles bringing Derek food, Stiles in his bed… He sniffed the air, but all he could smell was him and Stiles, their scents mingled together in bed, and he groaned quietly.

Derek was on his back, leaned a little towards Stiles, who had his face not an inch away from Derek’s head, one arm under Derek’s head, the other over his chest, and he was lying on his side but tipped forward a little so he was leaning against Derek with most of his body, one leg over Derek’s thigh with his foot resting between Derek’s ankles. It was all very intimate, and Derek put the hand not squished between their bodies (dangerously close to Stiles’ junk, oh god) over his eyes.

He allowed himself a couple of minutes, but the only thing that happened was that Stiles kept breathing and snoring softly in his ear as Derek’s dick grew harder and harder, and he quickly realized he needed to move. As soon as he tried though, Stiles used both his arms and the leg on Derek’s thigh to hold him still and pull him closer, and Derek groaned again.

“Stiles,” he said quietly and Stiles smacked his mouth a little before sighing and nuzzling against the side of Derek’s head, making him shiver. “Stiles, please,” he groaned.

“Mmm,” Stiles hummed and started to snore lightly again.

After seriously considering going back to sleep and let future Derek deal with it he realized he was way to awake for that, and he really needed to pee, so he gently took the arm Stiles had over his chest and moved it to Stiles’ side, and then he carefully rolled away from Stiles, who immediately groaned and grabbed onto him before stiffing up.

“Uhm,” Stiles said.

“Yeah,” Derek agreed.

“Sorry.” Stiles moved his arm and leg and Derek scooted over to the other side of the bed. To his side of the bed. He looked at Stiles, who was on his back with an arm over his eyes.

“Yeah, uh, sorry,” Derek said.

Suddenly Stiles’ scent went worried and he moved his arm and looked at Derek.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, and he sounded concerned.

“I’m, uh, I have a headache?” Derek said and Stiles nodded.

“Yeah, you were pretty high last night. You feel normal now though?”

“Except for the headache, yeah, I feel fine,” Derek said and cleared his throat. “What happened?”

“What do you remember?” Stiles asked.

“I was running, then there were fairies that fought me, I got to your car, we were in your car, we were in the bathroom, food..? It’s all very blurry.”

“Okay.” Stiles scooted up so he could lean his back against the headboard. “You were passed out by my car but you woke up enough to tell me it was fairies, so I called Deaton, he said to take you home and let you sleep it off, so I did.” He shrugged. “I helped you to the bathroom and checked your wounds, then you showered. I had to help you some more after, and then you went to bed, I made sandwiches, you asked me to stay, we fell asleep. You were very cuddly and sweet.”

“Oh god.” Derek blushed but Stiles just smiled at him before frowning and looking thoughtful.

“What happened though? Fairies are supposed to be chill, why did you fight?”

“They are,” Derek agreed. “I have no idea, one of them got really aggressive and said something about me not being allowed and then he just started swinging.”

“Huh,” Stiles said, still looking at Derek. “That’s so weird. I’ll see if I can get in touch with Meraldia, ask if she knows what happened.”

“Meraldia? You’re gonna talk to their _queen_ over this?” Derek asked incredulously. 

“Well, yeah? One of theirs attacked, we should at least know why.” Stiles shrugged and Derek shook his head. 

“Yeah, okay,” he said and started to get out of bed. “I need to pee.”

Stiles nodded and waved a hand at him, so he went to the bathroom. When he got back Stiles hadn’t moved, so he raised his eyebrows at him. 

“Yeah, soon,” Stiles said. 

“Okay then,” Derek said. He couldn’t help but smile though, Stiles looked so tired. He looked right too, like he belonged in Derek’s bed, and Derek cleared his throat. “Coffee?” he asked. 

“Oh god, yes, please,” Stiles said, so Derek shot him a small smile before going to the kitchen. 

He started the coffee and then he rooted around in his cupboards as it brewed. He decided to boil some eggs and fry a little bacon for sandwiches, thinking Stiles would come join him when the coffee was done, but by the time he was done Stiles still hadn’t shown up. He listened for him and heard his heart beating steadily and his slow and even breathing. Derek smiled to himself as he made them a couple of sandwiches each and poured them coffee before going to wake Stiles up. 

Stiles was still sitting against the headboard, his head tipped forward as he slept, and Derek stood there for a few seconds just watching him. It looked really uncomfortable, but he looked so relaxed, so at peace, that Derek still felt a little bad for waking him up.

“Stiles,” he said quietly, and when nothing happened he put a hand on Stiles’ shoulder. “Stiles,” he repeated a little louder and Stiles lifted his head and blinked before looking confusedly up at Derek. “Coffee? Breakfast?”

“Oh.” Stiles dragged his hands over his face and Derek let go of his shoulder and backed up a step. “Sorry,” Stiles said and yawned. “Yeah. I’m getting up.”

“Good plan,” Derek said with a smile and Stiles waved a hand in his general direction.

“Shut up,” he said, but he was smiling too.

Derek went back to the kitchen and Stiles stumbled after him, looking soft and so right in Derek’s kitchen that Derek’s had to look away to hide his all too soft smile. When Stiles sat down he immediately cradled the cup and sniffed the coffee.

“You made me sandwiches?” he asked and Derek shrugged.

“You were sleeping,” he said, “and you made me one yesterday, thought it’d only be fair.”

Stiles grinned at Derek, who smiled down at the table. “I did, yeah,” Stiles said. “Thanks though.”

“Thanks for helping me last night,” Derek said. There was a reason his instincts took him towards Stiles when he was in danger.

“Not a problem,” Stiles said and took a big bite of his sandwich. After chewing and swallowing he spoke again. “What’s your plan for the day?”

“Nothing much,” Derek said. “Was just gonna go to the grocery store. You?”

“ _Nothing_ ,” Stiles said. “I was gonna go home yesterday, sleep for 10 hours, then spend all of today doing _nothing_ , just hang in my couch and watch tv and eat junk food.”

“And I ruined that for you,” Derek said, feeling a little bad for it, “sorry.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I’m still gonna do nothing today though,” Stiles said.

“We could watch a movie?” Derek shifted awkwardly in his seat. “I saw that that new movie you talked about is on netflix.”

“Yeah?” Stiles asked around another bite of sandwich. “You wanna see it?”

Derek shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”

They finished breakfast, then they watched the movie, and it was nice. When it was over Stiles stretched and yawned before packing up his things to go home, smiling warmly at Derek before he left. Derek glared at his own chest when he was alone, at his heart that was beating a little too hard, a little too fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I miss any tags? Please let me know!
> 
> Thank you for reading ♥


	2. Drunk

• **•D•** •

Stiles was so drunk. Derek sighed and tried to suppress a smile when he got in the car. 

“Home, James!” Stiles said with was probably meant to be authority, but the slurring and flaily handwave kind of ruined it for him. 

“I’m not your driver, Stiles,” Derek said, but Stiles grinned at him. 

“You are tonight, man,” he said.

Derek thought about arguing, he even got as far as to opening his mouth before he realized there was no use. Stiles was kind of right too, Derek was his driver for the night. 

“Whatever,” he said instead and Stiles threw his head back and laughed. 

After the fairy incident, as Stiles had dubbed it, he had declared that Derek owed him and that paying back would mean he was Stiles’ designated driver for the deputies party. Derek didn’t mind at all, he would have driven him anyway if he had asked, it really wasn’t a hardship for him, so he had agreed, and there they were. 

“Did you have fun?” Derek asked as he pulled out on the road. 

“I did, yeah,” Stiles said and huffed out a laugh before launching into a story about something his drunken deputy colleagues had done at the party.

The ride to Stiles’ place was not far, just about fifteen minutes, and Derek noticed that Stiles got more and more subdued the closer they got, and his talking had almost stopped completely when Derek stopped the car outside Stiles’ building. The smell of sadness was starting to get overwhelming, and Derek couldn’t take it anymore. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked and Stiles snapped his head up to look at him with huge eyes. 

“Nothing,” he said, and while his heart was steady, Derek refused to believe that. 

“Come on, Stiles, tell me what it is.”

“There really isn’t anything wrong, I just. Well, I just really don’t want to be alone.” He looked ashamed when he said it and Derek frowned. 

“Do you want me to come up with you for a while?” he asked. 

“Would you?”

“Of course I would, if you want me to.” He considered being offended for a second, but decided against it. Stiles was drunk and Derek wasn’t known to be very social after all. 

“I always want you to,” Stiles said and immediately started to blush furiously. “Yes, please, come up for a while?” he added with a croaky voice. 

“Sure,” Derek said and started the car again. “I have to park properly,” he told Stiles as an answer to the very confused look he got. 

•

“No, I swear!” Stiles said with a flail. “She told me he was pissed ‘cause you were prettier than him, and you were all sweaty and had been running, but you were _still_ so beautiful, and he’s a fairy so he’s supposed to be the prettier one, so he got jealous and made up some shit reason to fight you.”

“You can’t be serious,” Derek said flatly. He really couldn’t believe it. “That’s just… no.”

Stiles threw his head back and laughed. 

“It’s true. She was so mad at him, I wouldn’t have wanted to be him when she got back.” He shook his head, still smiling. “You should have seen her when I told her you were concussed when I got to you, I swear, she was two seconds away from blowing smoke from her ears.”

Derek felt himself blush and dipped his chin to hide it. 

“He didn’t concuss me,” he said quietly and Stiles stopped chuckling and looked at him. 

“But you had a huge bump on your head, and you were unconscious,” he said. 

“Yeah, that wasn’t him.” Derek looked up at Stiles and saw him looking thoughtfully at him, head tilted just a little to the side and his whole body leaned forward a fraction, the alcohol making him a little wobbly even as he was sitting still. 

“What happened to your head?” he asked carefully. Derek’s blush deepened again and he looked down at his lap. 

“I, uhm. I stumbled and fell and hit my head against your Jeep,” he said quietly. When Stiles didn’t say anything for a long time he looked up at him. He expected him to laugh or at least look amused, but Stiles just sat there with a fond little smile on his face, looking at him. “What,” he grunted. 

“You, Derek Hale, are the most precious person ever,” Stiles said softly. “Oh, come on, close your mouth, you know how much I love you, of course I think you’re precious when you’re like this.”

Derek didn’t close his mouth at all, if anything it fell open even more at that. 

“You love me?” he asked quietly. 

“Of course I do, you big doofus, you’re my best friend, you’re _you._ ”

Derek just looked at him for a long time, but Stiles didn’t waver. He just kept smiling softly at him, and then he put a hand on Derek’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. 

“You’re important. I know you don’t always believe that, but you are, and we care about you, me and dad and Lydia and even Scott and the gang.”

Derek closed his eyes and swallowed. Stiles was drunk. He knew they cared, but being important and loved was very different from that, and Stiles was drunk and probably sentimental and exaggerating. 

“Hey,” Stiles said and shook Derek’s shoulder a little. “Come on, stop that. I’ll tell you when I’m sober, I promise, it’s not just drunk talk. Anyway, the fairy lady said she would deal with the jealous kid, she said he was only 75, so he was still so immature, but she’d make sure he wouldn’t do anything like that again.”

Derek looked at him when he changed back the subject to the fairies, and he smiled a little and nodded in thanks. 

“Yeah, 75, what a baby,” he said quietly and Stiles laughed again, and Derek relaxed and smiled some more. 

•

“No, really Stiles, go get ready for bed. I’m not leaving, but you’re hardly awake, just get ready so that when you want to sleep you can without fuss.”

Derek felt like he was talking to a three year old, with the pouting and the complaining and the yawning.

“You’re not leaving?” Stiles asked with a small but oh so hopeful voice. 

“Of course not, now who’s the doofus?”

“Oh. Okay.”

Finally Stiles got up and wobbled over to the bathroom, and Derek went to the kitchen to grab some water and painkillers for next morning. He was a little surprised to see that Stiles bed was made, albeit a little sloppy, but he almost immediately felt bad for it. Stiles might be a bit chaotic, but his home had always been tidy. 

He put the water and the painkillers on the nightstand before going to see how Stiles was doing. 

“Can I borrow some sweats?” he asked, and Stiles nodded, his mouth filled with toothpaste and toothbrush. That didn’t stop him from talking though. 

“Bockom gwawer,” he said. Derek tilted his head a little as he tried to translate it to English. 

“Bottom drawer?” he asked and Stiles grinned and nodded. 

“Yesh!”

Derek smiled and shook his head at him before returning to the bedroom. He quickly found a pair of sweatpants and changed out of his jeans. 

When Stiles came out from the bathroom he looked at Derek and hesitated briefly before visibly steeling himself. 

“Can I hug you?” he asked and Derek raised his eyebrows.

That was not what he expected, but he quietly nodded and opened his arms. Stiles shot him a relieved smile before charging into his arms, making Derek “oof” at the impact. 

“Sorry,” Stiles murmured against Derek’s shoulder as he gripped him tightly. “Thanks,” he added after a moment. 

“Anytime,” Derek said quietly and pressed his nose to Stiles head, breathing him in. 

“Do I smell bad? The alcohol?” Stiles asked and Derek shook his head. 

“You smell good,” he said, and added with barely a whisper, “you always smell good.”

After a while Stiles let go and looked nervously at Derek. 

“Could you-” he started. “Would it be okay if I asked you to sit with me a little?” he asked and nodded in the direction of the bed. 

“Yeah, sure,” Derek said.

Stiles crawled in bed and Derek sat down next to him, leaning back against the headboard. Stiles didn’t seem to have any problems talking despite being drunk and obviously tired, but after a while he huffed and poked Derek’s thigh. 

“Hey, get down here, I can’t see you, it’s disconcerting and killing my neck,” he said and Derek huffed a laugh but complied. Stiles smiled softly at him when they were facing each other. “This is better,” he said. “I like seeing your smile, it’s a good smile.”

“Oh?” Derek said and Stiles nodded seriously before wincing a little. 

“Ow, spinny,” he said and made a face. “Yeah, it’s a good smile, means you’re happy, and you should be happy.”

Derek couldn’t help but smile at that, and Stiles smile grew. 

“Thank you,” Derek said quietly. 

“No, thank you,” Stiles said and patted Derek’s arm. He didn’t remove his hand when he stopped though, but he did keep talking. Derek had never seen him this unwilling to be alone and it concerned him a little, but it was nice, laying there with him, listening to his voice as it became slower and slurrier, his hand warm against Derek’s arm. 

 

• **•S•** •

Stiles woke up and groaned immediately. His head was killing him and the sun was trying to cook him through the window. He glared at it before turning his back to it and was met with the sight of a sleeping Derek. He was not prepared for the sight of a sleeping Derek. He groaned again and hid his face in his hands. 

He allowed himself a few minutes to wallow in self pity before gingerly sitting up, and when he saw the water and pills on his bedside table he groaned again. Did Derek really have to be so annoyingly perfect all the time? He took the pills and drank all the water before lying down again, and he looked at Derek’s sleeping form. He had seen Derek unconscious more times than he was strictly comfortable with, the guy had the worst luck, but it was nothing compared to a sleeping Derek. When he was unconscious he still somehow managed to look concerned, but when he was sleeping he looked so young and innocent and peaceful. Both made Stiles heart ache, but in very different ways. 

Looking at Derek like that made him wish he had known him when he was younger, before Kate, before Paige even, before his life had started to fuck him over so badly. He wondered if he always had been so serious, if he had been happy. He knew he had trusted easier back then, and it hurt to think of all the times Derek’s trust had been misplaced and how badly Derek had been hurt by it. 

He shook the thoughts away and groaned internally when his thoughts immediately went to the previous night. He needed coffee. 

He gingerly made his way to the kitchen to start some, and as it brewed he took a quick shower. When he was back in the kitchen with a mug of coffee in his hands he felt a little better, a little less like his brain was trying to pound its way through his skull and he decided to make a greasy breakfast. 

He was just finishing up the last hash browns when Derek entered the kitchen, looking sleep rumpled and adorably confused. 

“Morning,” Stiles said and smiled at him. 

“Morning,” Derek grunted and Stiles poured him a cup of coffee and pointed at the milk on the table. 

“Here, coffee, sit, I made breakfast.”

“I must have fallen asleep, sorry,” Derek mumbled into his cup. 

“Oh god, please don’t apologize for that, I was a mess yesterday, I’m sorry for-” he gestured vaguely, “-everything.”

Derek smiled into his cup and Stiles turned his back to get plates. 

“It’s fine,” Derek said. “You were lonely and drunk, I get it.”

“I was clingy and demanding, but thank you for trying to downplay it,” Stiles said. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Derek said. 

After eating Derek used his bathroom, and when he came back he was wearing his jeans again. 

“I should go,” he said. “Thanks for breakfast.”

“No problem at all, thanks for driving and being a good friend,” Stiles said as he followed Derek to the hallway. “And by the way, I do love you. I might be hungover, but I’m not drunk. You’re one of my best friends, and you’re important.”

He could see Derek blushing, and he was blushing himself as well, but he didn’t really care, he had made a pretty big fool of himself the night before, and he probably was again, but this was important, no matter how awkward it was to actually say it while sober. 

“Thanks,” Derek mumbled to the floor. 

“I really appreciate you coming up, and staying. It made my night a lot easier.”

“No problem,” Derek said and looked up at him with a soft smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I miss any tags? Please let me know.
> 
> Thank you for reading ♥


	3. Feral

• **•D•** •

Derek was kind of annoyed that he was out in the woods alone with Scott, but they had a lead on the witch and they were the only ones available, so there wasn’t much to do. He couldn’t very well let Scott go alone, and it was better that Derek was out there than one of the little ones. And he really needed to stop calling them that, damn it Stiles.

At first they hadn’t been too worried about the witch, but since she was trespassing and didn’t introduce herself they had kept an eye on her. Then animals had started to die, and people were getting worried. They had just found out where she was, so they were going to go talk to her. Scott, ever the optimist, was sure she could be reasoned with, while Derek was prepared to kill if he had to. He didn’t want to, but he was prepared to. 

When they found her she was in a clearing not even a half hour walk from Derek’s house, which made him uncomfortable. Knowing she was that close? Not something he liked. She couldn’t be more than 20, and she was tiny, short and thin, her brown hair chopped off at shoulder length. She was sitting by a campfire reading an old book, and she startled and got up when she saw them.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” she asked, not sounding happy at all to see them. Derek’s metaphorical hackles rose at her tone, and he suppressed a growl and kept his face blank while Scott answered.

“Hi! I’m Scott, and that’s Derek,” he said with a smile as he walked up to her with his hand out for her to shake. She seemed perplexed by his friendly response and her lips twitched into a small smile as she took his hand. 

“Brandy,” she said, and immediately frowned and pulled her hand back, as if annoyed she had shared as much. “Why are you here?” she asked, her tone clipped and obviously irritated. 

“We just came to make sure everything is alright,” Scott said, his smile still in place. “What are you doing? Is that a gilmore?” he asked with what seemed like genuine curiosity. Derek kept the sigh and eye roll to the inside, his face remaining blank. 

“That’s none of your business,” Brandy snapped. 

“It is though,” Scott said. “I’m the alpha here, and when a witch comes to our territory and starts killing animals it is very much our business. It’s my responsibility to keep my territory safe, so I need to know what you’re doing here.” His smile never wavered, and he kept his voice friendly. 

“Oh, great, the fucking werewolves,” Brandy muttered. 

She continued to avoid Scott’s questions and her words got more and more rude and threatening as they spoke, and Derek got more and more angry, and eventually he let the beta shift take over and he roared at her. 

“Enough,” he said, the fangs making him lisp a little. “Either you fucking listen or you fuck off. This is my land, this is centuries old Hale land and you have no business coming here threatening us. I will not hesitate to take you down myself if that’s what it takes.”

He could tell that he had scared her and he felt pleased about it, maybe she would finally start to listen. She didn’t though. Squaring her shoulders she looked him straight in the eyes, and then she mumbled something under her breath, keeping her eyes locked with his. He suddenly felt the full shift take him over, and a cold dread filled his stomach. Everything felt overwhelming, and the fear had him raising his hackles and growl as he landed on four paws. 

“Maybe now you’ll learn not to use fear as a weapon,” she said, sounding smug and Derek realized she was the cause of the bone chilling dread that was starting to cloud his head. He was terrified. She could kill him so easily, and Scott wouldn’t do anything to stop it. He glanced at the Alpha who was looking between the two of them. Yeah, he was on his own. Fuck. He growled louder and took a step towards the Witch, stumbling slightly in his torn jeans that were slowly sliding off his hind legs as he showed more teeth, and to his surprise she took a step back.

The Alpha was talking to her, Derek realized, but he couldn’t quite make out the words. He sounded scared though, frantic almost, and Derek had to fight hard to suppress the urge to run. Everything was terrifying, and he was too far from home with an Alpha he didn’t quite trust and a malicious Witch. He stood his ground though, and after the quick glance at the Alpha his eyes didn’t leave the Witch. He knew he was drooling as he was growling, he probably looked insane with bits of torn clothing hanging off him, but he didn’t care, instead he snarled, making saliva fly as he snapped his teeth in her direction.

Suddenly she was gone, and he whipped around to look for her, but all he found was the Alpha talking to him, hands held out in front of him. He tried to sniff the air to find the Witch again, but he soon realized she was no longer there. The Alpha took a step towards him and Derek snapped in warning at him before turning around and running home. 

He ran hard and fast, paws thrumming against the ground. Everything was a threat, and he just wanted to get home, to somewhere safe. As soon as he got to his yard he breathed a sigh of relief and skidded to a stop on the porch, where he tore off the rests of his t-shirt that was clinging to his shoulders.

He couldn’t get in, but it still felt better to be home, and he stayed on the porch where he had a good view of the surroundings and wouldn’t be easily cornered. Every sound made him twitch and growl, and he felt himself shaking with fear.

When the Alpha showed up he tried to force himself to stop shaking. The Alpha walked towards him, he was saying something, but Derek didn’t listen, didn’t care, he just wanted him gone. He lowered his head and growled, and when the Alpha still came closer he got off the porch, backing away from him while trying to keep his senses alert for other threats. 

Eventually the Alpha backed off and Derek went back up on the porch again. He felt safer there. The Alpha stayed in the yard, but he was far enough away that Derek could relax a little at least. He hated that he couldn’t stop shaking, he didn’t want the Alpha to see him like that, to see him weak. 

It was hard to tell time like that, and Derek had no real concept of how much time had passed when he eventually heard something approaching. It took him a tense moment to realize it was a vehicle and that he recognized the sound. He didn’t realize he was growling until he stopped, and he heard that the Alpha was talking again. Ignoring him, he paced the porch, whining lowly while waiting for the vehicle to get there. When the Jeep pulled into the yard he carefully made his way towards it while keeping an eye on the Alpha.

Stiles stumbled out of the Jeep and the Alpha started to walk towards him, making Derek panic. He snarled and growled, saliva flying, as he tried to situate himself between Stiles and the Alpha.

 

• **•S•** •

Stiles had been in the cruiser on the way back to the station when he got the call from Scott. He knew they were going to try and find the witch that day, so he was apprehensive when he answered. Scott had quickly and quietly explained that the witch, Brandy, had forced the full shift on Derek and somehow made him scared, and then she had been scared herself and teleported out of there. Stiles had promised to get there as soon as he could, and when he pulled into Derek’s yard he watched a big black wolf, Derek, carefully approach his Jeep as he was parking it.

When he opened the door and got out Scott was already on his way towards him, and Derek obviously hated that. He was growling and snarling, and Scott was trying to tell him it was okay, but Derek quickly situated himself between them, his back to Stiles, and wow. That was an angry werewolf. Scott kept trying to talk to him, and Stiles was a bit stunned for a moment, before he snapped out of it.

“Back the fuck off, Scott!” he hissed, and Scott looked up at him with huge confused eyes. Stiles rolled his eyes and sighed. “He’s scared, you said it yourself before that he was scared of you, back off.”

Scott looked sad, which always was a tragedy in itself, no grown man was supposed to look that much like a puppy, but he did back off, and Derek immediately calmed down. He stayed with his back towards Stiles, still growling lowly, and he kept his eyes fixed on Scott, but he calmed down.

“See?” Stiles said happily. “Much better.” He got his bag out of the car and headed towards the front door, and Derek followed awkwardly, staying close to Stiles but looking at Scott, making him trot almost sideways. “I don’t suppose you have the keys on you?” Stiles asked Derek, who looked up at him and whined softly. “It’s okay, I’ve got it.”

He unlocked and opened the door, and Derek sneaked inside immediately. When Stiles didn’t follow he looked back at him and whined, and Stiles smiled at him.

“Yeah, I’m coming, I’ll be right in. I just need to speak to Scott first,” he said, and Derek tilted his head at him and whined some more. “I’m coming, relax, big guy.”

“He’s not scared of you,” Scott said and Derek looked at him and growled lowly. Stiles shrugged and studied Derek. Head and tail low, ears back, he was obviously uncomfortable with the situation. 

“I don’t think so, no. He doesn’t seem to fond of you though.”

Scott looked hurt, but he didn’t disagree. 

“He guarded you,” he said instead. 

“Yeah.” Stiles cleared his throat. “So, the witch, Brandy, right? What did she say exactly?”

“That he was supposed to be scared, not aggressive. She didn’t say much before she zapped out of there, but as far as I understand she got mad at him for scaring her and she wanted to show him what it was like being scared.”

Stiles dragged a hand across his face and sighed.

“Jesus,” he said quietly. “So she didn’t casually mention how to get him back or how long it lasts, did she?”

“No, unfortunately not,” Scott said with a sad face. “I have to go,” he added. 

“Yeah, go, I’ll keep an eye on him and see what I can find. Do you need the Jeep?”

“Nah, it’s cool, thanks though.” Scott held out the bundle of clothes he had been holding. “Derek’s stuff,” he said.

“Thanks,” Stiles said and took it. Most of what he saw looked torn and he raised his eyebrows at Scott, who shrugged.

“Yeah, most of it didn’t survive the shift, but there were stuff in his pockets and his shoes are fine, so,” he said.

“Okay, thanks,” Stiles said.

“Keep in touch?” Scott asked.

“Yeah, sure.” Stiles smiled at him and Scott waved as he took off down the road in a jog. He turned back to Derek, who had stopped growling as soon as Scott turned his back to them. “So, let’s see what we can find out about your little predicament.”

He put Derek’s torn clothes and shoes on a dresser, then he walked in and flopped down on the couch and pulled out his laptop from his bag while Derek watched with rapt attention. 

After some time he yawned and stretched, and he realized he was hungry as hell and he really needed to pee. He looked at the time and sighed when he saw he had been sitting there for almost four hours. Derek’s pacing had been distracting, and honestly kind of annoying, for a while, but he had eventually laid down on the floor next to the couch.

Stiles got up and put the laptop on the table and Derek startled awake and jumped to his feet, growling loudly. 

“Hey, no,” Stiles said softly and Derek whipped his head around to look at him, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Derek whimpered out a soft little sound and Stiles could see him trembling, so he crouched down and held his hands out. 

“Sorry,” he said again and Derek whined and pressed his face against one of Stiles hands. Stiles carefully put the other on his neck, and Derek flinched before pressing closer. “It’s okay,” Stiles said quietly and sat down on the floor. Derek almost crawled up in his lap, and Stiles sat there for a long time, softly scratching his neck until the trembling and whining stopped. 

“I really need to pee,” Stiles said and Derek lifted his head and whined at him, but he seemed mostly okay, so Stiles carefully got up again. Derek scrambled up too, looking around the house a little twitchily.

Stiles had looked through all of his usual sources and was starting to get really frustrated, and seeing Derek like this didn’t help. He really wanted regular, not wolf, not scared shitless Derek back. 

Derek trailed after him as he went to the bathroom, and he started to whine the second Stiles closed the door. By the time Stiles had reached the toilet and gotten his fly open the whining was bordering on hysterical and he was scratching at the door. Stiles sighed and went to open the door again. He had peed in front of other dudes before, he’d survive this too. It felt really fucking awkward peeing with a whining Derek pressed against his leg though. 

When he was done and had washed his hands he rifled through Derek’s fridge and found some leftovers that he heated up. 

“I hope you weren’t saving these for something special,” he said as he took the food out of the microwave, after the ping that had made Derek jump. “Are you hungry?”

Derek just looked around nervously, still pressed against Stiles leg. Stiles sighed and loaded the food up on two plates before sitting down at the table. 

He ate his food while slowly feeding Derek his food by putting some on a fork that he held down to him. Derek hadn’t even eaten half of his when he started to turn his face away from the fork though, so Stiles finished his quickly before throwing the rest of Derek’s away and rinsing the plates. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and headed out, Derek following close behind. 

When he got outside he crouched down on the porch and opened the water bottle. He held it out for Derek who looked at it like it might bite, but he didn’t move away from it. Stiles let some of the water run out and Derek seemed to get what he wanted and started to drink sloppily until some of the water ran down his chin and he frantically started to paw at it to get it away from him. 

“Hey, hey, it’s just water,” Stiles said and put his hand under his chin to wipe it off. “It’s just water, it’s nothing bad, I promise.” He kept his voice soft and Derek calmed down soon enough, but not before he had scratched Stiles hand a little. 

“You want more?” he asked and held the bottle out again, but Derek eyed it warily and backed away, so he put it away behind himself instead. “Okay, enough of that, I get it.”

He had to actually walk Derek down to the yard to get him to do his business, which made him feel all kinds of horrible, but Derek obviously didn’t want to be more than a foot or two away from him and he still had a functioning body. He pointedly looked away when Derek peed though. 

Derek started to go back towards the house as soon as he was done, whining softly, and Stiles followed him immediately. 

“Yeah, okay, we’ll go back in.” 

He considered to keep trying to find something, but it was getting really late and he had been up early and then worked a long shift, so he decided against it despite the guilt of not having been able to help Derek. 

“I’m sorry, dude, but I’m gonna fall asleep no matter what I do now, so I might as well do it in a bed,” he told Derek who just looked at him and pressed closer. “Yeah, I’m taking your guest bed.”

He quickly realized that sleeping alone wasn’t gonna happen. He didn’t even try to close the door, the bathroom incident way to fresh in his mind, and when he had changed into a pair of Derek’s pyjama pants and crawled in bed Derek immediately jumped up and squeezed himself in between Stiles and the wall.

His light trembling didn’t stop until Stiles had put his arm around him and was pressed close to him, and when it did Derek let out a heavy sigh. With Derek as a huge and warm teddy bear to hold onto it didn’t take long for Stiles to fall asleep.

 

• **•D•** •

Derek woke up disoriented, not knowing where he was. Everything felt safe though, and he let his body take in his surrounding for a second before he realized. He was in his own guest bedroom. With Stiles. And he was naked. Derek that is, Stiles had pyjama pants on, Derek’s pyjama pants, and he was sleeping half on top of Derek, effectively trapping him between himself and the wall. 

He considered his options for a moment. He could move Stiles and get up, but he was naked and half hard and he didn’t particularly want to deal with that embarrassment right then. Stiles was a man, he’d understand, he had been sleeping, it was natural, but still. Awkward. He could also go back to sleep. The sun wasn’t even up, it was basically still night, Stiles was warm and comfortable against him and he was tired. Yeah. Sleep sounded good.

The next time he woke up was because something landed on his face. He swiped the cloth away and realized it was a pair of sweatpants. 

“Get up, wolfman,” Stiles said from the doorway. He was dressed in his deputy uniform and smiling broadly.

“Time’s it?” Derek asked groggily. 

“Almost eleven. There’s coffee in the kitchen,” Stiles said over his shoulder as he walked off. 

Derek put the pants on before going to his bedroom to grab a t-shirt. He rubbed his eyes as he walked in the kitchen, where Stiles was sitting with coffee and a mostly eaten sandwich. 

“Morning,” Derek said. 

“Morning,” Stiles replied. “How are you feeling today?”

“Tired, embarrassed.” Derek shrugged as he poured himself a cup of coffee and adding milk before sitting down.

“You remember what happened?” Stiles asked softly and Derek nodded to his coffee. “Don’t be embarrassed then,” Stiles added and Derek snorted and looked up at him. 

“I got scared by water,” he said and Stiles shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “I followed you to the bathroom, oh god, you had to follow _me_ ,” he groaned and hid his face in his hands. 

“Hey, no, don’t do that to yourself,” Stiles said. “It was a spell, or a curse or whatever, that wasn’t just you being suddenly and irrationally scared, that was something that was done to you.”

Derek removed his hands and looked at him.

“Yeah, no, it’s gonna be embarrassing for a while,” he said and Stiles smiled sadly at him. 

“Yeah, I can understand that. I don’t think you need to be though, but I understand.”

“Thank you, for being here,” Derek said quietly. 

“Of course. You stayed with drunk me all night last month, this was nothing,” Stiles said before changing the subject. “So, I found out some interesting things about Brandy this morning.”

“Oh?” Derek said and straightened up a little. 

“Yeah, she’s from a coven in Nevada,” Stiles said, “they’ve had some troubles with her wanting to learn blood magic and they’ve not wanted to teach her because she apparently seemed to want to learn it for the wrong reasons. Then she disappeared a while back and the coven had been trying to find her ever since. She returned home last night though, and the leader of the coven asked if we could go visit them to talk. Tell our side and stuff.”

“And we trust them, after..?” Derek asked skeptically, but Stiles just nodded. 

“Yeah, they’re good, it’s a good coven. They’re not sure what they’re gonna do about her yet, and that’s partly why they want us there, to get a more complete story, but they’re good. Lots of connections with other packs and covens who we trust, and they all say they’re good.”

“How do you know all this already?” Derek asked and dragged a tired hand over his face.

“Facebook mostly, but I did talk to the coven leader on the phone.” Stiles said and Derek hummed and looked at his coffee. “I have to go to work, eat something and go back to sleep, and we’ll talk more tonight.”

“Yeah,” Derek said and yawned. “I think I’ll do that, jesus, I’m exhausted.”

“Yesterday was hard on you,” Stiles said and got up. He rinsed his mug and put it in the dishwasher before going to the hallway to put his shoes on. Derek got up and followed him, and when Stiles stood back up he smiled. “Hug?” he asked and Derek nodded and stepped into his arms. 

“Thank you,” he said again and Stiles backed up a little and put his hands on Derek’s arms. 

“Anytime,” he said seriously. “Go eat, I’ll call you tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I miss a tag? Please let me know!
> 
> Thank you for reading ♥


	4. Road trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, sorry about that. Next one is longer though, don't hate me? *smiles hopefully*

• **•D•** •

Stiles yawning was contagious and nine out of ten of them made Derek yawn too.

“God damn it,” Stiles muttered as he moved around in the passenger seat.

“What?” Derek asked.

“It’s been more than an hour,” Stiles said and yawned again. “I want a bed.”

They had been to visit the coven in Nevada, Brandy’s coven, and talked to them about her. The coven had been eager in reassuring them nothing like that would happen again, clearly not wanting to be on bad terms with them or the packs they affiliated with, and Derek felt comfortable about everything when they left. The whole thing had taken longer than they had anticipated though, and they were still several hours from home when they realized they would need to stop and sleep. An hour later they still hadn’t passed any motels, and Stiles was getting more and more grumpy.

“I’m sure there’s something soon,” Derek said and Stiles huffed. “You can sleep if you want to,” he added for probably the fourth time, even though he knew Stiles would just say no again.

“No, it’s okay,” Stiles said and Derek huffed a laugh. “Stop laughing at me!”

“I will, when you stop being a child about this,” Derek said with a grin and Stiles huffed again.

“I am an adult, I can be a child about this if I want to,” he grumbled, but Derek heard the smile in his voice.

They drove in silence for another minute until Derek saw a motel and he nudged Stiles’ arm, making Stiles twitch and then lean forward in his seat.

“A motel!” he said, grinning hugely. “Finally a motel!”

“Lot’s of cars though,” Derek said as they got closer.

“Please don’t let it be full, please,” Stiles pleaded and Derek agreed. He really didn’t want to keep driving and Stiles was definitely not fit to drive, being as tired as he was.

They found a parking spot and both of them got out of the car. Stiles stretched and groaned as he moved and Derek ducked his head and smiled as he walked ahead to the office. The woman working there smiled politely at him as he entered, then at Stiles when he stumbled in after.

“Please say you’ve got rooms,” Stiles said before anyone had even had a chance to say hi and the woman’s smile got more genuine even as she frowned a little.

“We’ve only got one available,” she said and Derek sighed. Of course there was only one room left. “It’s got a double bed though.”

“We’ll take it,” Stiles said and she looked at Derek, who nodded and got his wallet out.

“We’ll take it,” he agreed.

After paying and getting the key they thanked her and headed towards the room.

“I’ll buy breakfast in the morning or something,” Stiles said and gestured towards a restaurant next to the office.

“It’s okay,” Derek said as he unlocked the door.

“You paid for the room, I’ll pay for something else,” Stiles said, determined.

“Okay, okay,” Derek said with a small smile. “If you insist.”

“I insist.” Stiles walked into the room and looked around before hanging his jacket up. “This was nicer than I expected.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t smell too bad,” Derek said.

“Awesome,” Stiles said and opened the bathroom door. “I need to pee.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” Derek said flatly and Stiles laughed.

“Turn your ears off,” he said and closed the door behind him.

Neither of them had any bags with them, they hadn’t planned to stay the night, so Derek hung his jacket up next to Stiles’, then he sat down and untied his shoes while he waited for Stiles to be done in the bathroom. Honestly he was a little nervous about sharing a bed with Stiles again, even though they had done it a few times by then. For Derek’s part it had never been a conscious decision though, he had been cursed once, drugged once, and the one time he had been sober and clear headed he had accidentally fallen asleep. This time he was fully aware that he would lay down next to Stiles and spend the night right next to him. It was a little daunting. He went to the bathroom when Stiles was done, and when he got out Stiles was already under the covers.

“I hope you don’t mind I ditched the jeans,” Stiles said as he nuzzled into the pillow.

“It’s fine with me,” Derek said and swallowed nervously as he started to unbutton his own pants. Stiles breath hitched a little and Derek looked at him, only to see him blush slightly and smile stiffly at Derek.

“Great,” he croaked, then he turned his back to Derek. “Get the lights?”

“Okay,” Derek grunted and walked over to flick the switch, then he took off his jeans and socks, keeping his t-shirt and underwear on, before crawling into bed.

His heart was beating a little harder than it should, but he was tired. The day had been long and he’d been in the car for hours, so he turned his back to Stiles and fell asleep fast.

 

• **•S•** •

Stiles woke up warm. Not too warm, but nice and toasty, and it took him a couple of seconds to realize it was because Derek was basically sleeping on top of him. Stiles was on his stomach, starfished out with his head turned to the right, away from Derek, who was sprawled out all over him. He had his face smushed against the back of Stiles’ neck and he was holding on to Stiles’ torso with with his right arm and his other hand loosely held onto Stiles’ left shoulder. He was more or less straddling Stiles’ left leg too, and the warmth and weight of his body made Stiles feel grounded and safe.

It was surprisingly easy to maneuver Derek when he was sleeping though, so when Stiles turned a little to tip Derek off of himself Derek’s grip on him tightened for a moment, but then he easily moved to his side. He still had an arm and a leg over Stiles, and he was using Stiles’ arm as a pillow, but with a little wriggling and gentle tugging Stiles was soon free. Derek mumbled something and pressed his face against the mattress, then he sighed and his breathing evened out in sleep. Stiles was fairly sure Derek hadn’t even actually woken up.

After getting dressed and visiting the bathroom Stiles headed out to the small restaurant he had seen when they arrived, hoping they were open and serving breakfast. It was only just after 7 am, but when he got there he saw they had just opened, so he mentally fistpumped in celebration. He bought coffee and breakfast burritos and sandwiches for the both of them, as well as cinnamon rolls and soda, then he walked back to their room with his arms full. Derek was still sleeping, so he left the cinnamon rolls and the soda by the door, then he put Derek’s breakfast on the bedside table next to him and took the rest to his side and sat on the bed to eat. He carefully poked Derek, who grumbled and pressed his face against the mattress.

“Time for breakfast, buddy,” Stiles said quietly. “There’s coffee.”

“Hm,” Derek said, but he didn’t move.

“Yeah, it’s right there, with a dash of milk, ruined just how you want it,” Stiles said.

“S’not ruined,” Derek mumbled and Stiles laughed softly.

“It really is, and it’s getting colder by the second,” he said.

“You’re mean,” Derek mumbled before sighing deeply and turning to his back to glare at Stiles. He scooted up until he was sitting against the headboard, then he looked at the food as he grabbed the coffee. “I smell cinnamon.”

“Yeah, that’s for the car ride, a reward for you for getting out of bed,” Stiles said and grinned when Derek glared tiredly at him.

“That’s extortion, blackmail, and clearly very evil,” Derek said, making Stiles laugh again.

“Very evil indeed, I’m a mastermind,” he said, “forcing you to get up by giving you food and treats.”

“Mhm,” Derek agreed, “mean and evil.”

Derek slowly woke up more as he ate his breakfast and inhaled his coffee, and when they were done Stiles told him to return the key to the room while Stiles got the car, then he snuck out while Derek was in the bathroom. He went back to the restaurant and bought a new coffee for Derek before getting the car, and when Derek climbed in he immediately looked at Stiles, who grinned at him.

“I didn’t even know caffeine worked on werewolves before I knew how much coffee you drink in the mornings,” he said and held out the coffee.

Derek grabbed the cup from him and cradled it in both his hands as Stiles chuckled lightly and started the car. The drive was uneventful, but after Derek had finished his second coffee and eaten a cinnamon roll he was apparently awake enough for conversations. It was nice talking to him, even when Derek complained about Stiles calling Scott’s pack “the little ones”, because apparently Derek had started doing that too. Stiles laughed at that, and just enjoyed the car ride and the company. It had been a good trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I miss any tags? Please let me know.
> 
> Thank you for reading ♥


	5. Cold

• **•S•** •

Stiles gasped as he breached the surface and Derek grabbed him immediately, pulling him out of the cold water.

“Fuck,” Stiles said as Derek patted him down. “Hey, I’m okay, I’m fine,” he added when Derek didn’t calm down at all, and suddenly the air seemed to go out of Derek and he deflated as he pulled Stiles in for a hug.

“Never ever do that again,” he said, and Stiles could hear that he tried to keep his voice hard, but he mostly just sounded small and scared.

“I really fucking hope not,” Stiles said and Derek huffed and squeezed him tight for a moment before letting go.

“I guess that’ll have to do,” he said. “Are you hurt?”

“I’ll probably have a few bruises where she grabbed me, but nothing bad,” Stiles assured him. “I’m cold though.”

“Okay, let’s go, can you walk?” Derek asked and Stiles rolled his eyes at him as he started to walk.

“I’m cold, not broken,” he said and Derek hurried the few steps needed to catch up with him.

“Right, sorry,” Derek mumbled and Stiles smiled at him as they walked.

“It’s fine,” he said softly and Derek’s smile was stiff and didn’t look genuine at all, but it was there, so Stiles let it go. He was really fucking cold, and he just wanted to get back to Derek’s place and borrow some dry clothes and get under a blanket or something.

“Is she dead?” Stiles asked after a moment’s walking and Derek nodded.

“She’s dead,” he confirmed.

“I’m sorry,” Stiles said and Derek looked at him with raised eyebrows. “That you had to kill her, I’m sorry,” he clarified.

“I’m not,” Derek said and looked forward again, his face hard. “She tried to kill you.”

They kept walking in silence after that. No matter what Derek said Stiles knew he hated to kill, and the kelpie had just tried to protect her home. They had tried to talk to her, from what they had gathered about kelpies it was possible to reason with them, but she had attacked and grabbed Stiles before either of them could react. He was sad she was dead, but he would have killed her too if it had been Derek’s life on the line, so he understood.

Pretty soon Stiles’ shivering turned into shaking and he swore silently as his teeth clattered. He had hoped the walking would get him warm, but apparently not. When he stumbled the third time Derek grabbed his arm to keep him steady, then he stopped him and pulled him in for another hug.

“Okay?” Stiles asked as he shakily hugged back.

“You’re too cold, we have to hurry,” Derek said and let go of him only to crouch down in front of him, his back turned to Stiles. “Get up.”

Stiles just looked at him until Derek looked back at him with raised eyebrows. “You want me to piggyback?” Stiles asked.

Derek rolled his eyes and sighed. “Yes, Stiles, I want you to piggyback,” he said. “You’re too cold, you’re stumbling, your lips are blue, you’re hypothermic, we have to get you inside and warm and that’s not happening fast enough with the speed you’re going, so yes, I want you to piggyback so I can get you the fuck inside.”

Stiles was a little taken aback by how angry Derek sounded, he normally didn’t do that anymore, so he meekly nodded and climbed up. He put his arms around Derek’s shoulders, and Derek grabbed his thighs as he stood up and then he started to jog. Stiles hadn’t realized just how cold he was, but Derek was right. His hands were numb, he had had troubles walking, and he was shaking. Derek felt like a living furnace under him, even through his jacket, and Stiles clung to him tightly, partly because _warmth_ , but also so he wouldn’t fall off. 

Derek was surprisingly steady as he jogged in a brisk tempo and after a while Stiles leaned his head on Derek’s shoulder. 

”Thanks,” he said quietly and Derek grunted and ran faster.

When they finally arrived at Derek’s house Stiles teeth were clattering no matter how much he tried to stop, and when he got inside and sat down to unlace his shoes he couldn’t get his fingers to work. Derek crouched down in front of him and took Stiles’ hands in his as he looked at him.

”Let me?” he asked softly and Stiles sniffled and nodded. 

”Okay,” he said as a shiver shook his body. 

Derek frowned as he undid the knots with deft fingers, and then he stood up and held his hands out to Stiles. 

”Come on,” he said and Stiles took his hands and let him pull him up. Derek only let go of one of Stiles’ hands though, and he used his grip on the other to steer Stiles to his bedroom, where he let go and started to undress. ”Get your clothes off,” Derek said and Stiles looked at him in confusion. 

”What?” he asked and Derek looked up at him as he pushed his jeans and underwear down. 

”Get your clothes off, they’re wet and cold, you need warmth,” Derek said and nodded towards the bed before he stepped out of his pants and pulled his socks off. 

Stiles started to pull his wet shirts and jacket over his head, not bothering with buttons as he felt it would only complicate things. ”Naked?” he asked. He couldn’t see Derek because of all the clothes tangled in front of his face as he struggled to get them off, but he heard his huff. 

”Preferably as soon as possible,” Derek said and then his warm hands were on Stiles, helping him peel his clothes off. When they were finally gone, thrown to the floor by Derek, Stiles was faced with a fully naked Derek, who was frowning deeply. ”Come on, pants off too,” he said impatiently and crouched down in front of Stiles, who gulped but started to fumble with the button. 

”Okay,” he said, and when the button finally was undone Derek stuck his fingers inside by his hips and started to tug the pants down. They were wet and clung to him, but Derek was patient and efficient, and soon they were pooled around his feet and Derek grabbed Stiles’ underwear the same way, but he looked up at Stiles before moving them. 

”Okay?” he asked, and Stiles nodded. They were wet and cold and the groin was not a good place to keep wet and cold if he wanted to get his warmth back, he knew that, but it still felt weird getting completely naked like this right in front of Derek.

Derek, though, just pulled them down, then he grabbed Stiles calf and tugged up to get him to lift his foot. Stiles put a hand on Derek’s shoulder for balance before obliging, and in seconds Stiles was just as naked as Derek, who was moving the cover off his bed and guiding Stiles in. 

”Stay, I’ll be right back,” Derek said and Stiles nodded as he burrowed in under Derek’s soft cover.

A moment later Derek was back and put another cover on top of Stiles, and then he followed that with two blankets before lifting a corner and slipping in next to Stiles. He tugged and pushed at Stiles until he was on his side with his back to Derek, who then wrapped his arms around him and held him tight, their legs touching from thighs to feet. 

”Okay?” Derek asked. 

”Yeah, thanks,” Stiles said quietly. 

He was still shivering but he was pretty sure that was a good sign and when he said as much Derek nodded against the back of his neck. 

”Yeah, that’s good,” he said quietly, but he didn’t sound happy at all. 

”I’ll be fine, you’re like a furnace,” Stiles said.

”And you’re like a popsicle,” Derek said and Stiles huffed a laugh. 

”Me and Captain America,” he said and Derek huffed a warm breath of air against his neck as he laughed softly.

”You’re not quite as cool as him though,” he said and Stiles grinned. He liked it better when Derek was joking, even if it was at Stiles expense. 

Whenever Stiles was quiet for more than a minute Derek started to tense up and asked how he was doing, so Stiles kept talking quietly as he slowly started to feel more like a human than an ice cube. After some time he finally stopped shivering and Derek moved back a little to rearrange them. Stiles whined at the loss of body heat as he immediately started to shiver again, but Derek just pulled him to the warm spot Derek had been in and pushed and pulled until he was on his back, then he draped himself over Stiles’ front, Stiles’ arms uncomfortably squished between their bodies. 

”Okay?” Derek asked as he pulled the covers higher.

”Yeah,” Stiles said and breathed out a sigh of relief at the warmth Derek cocooned him in. 

He had his arms on either side of Stiles and he was keeping a lot of his weight on them, and he put his head next to Stiles’, his warm breath ghosting over Stiles’ shoulder and neck. Derek also put his legs mostly on top of Stiles’ legs, and their crotches were, well, pressed together. Stiles could feel Derek’s dick against his groin and he thought it should feel more awkward than it did. At least until Derek spoke again. 

”Fuck, even your dick is cold,” he said and Stiles sputtered out a laugh. 

”Oh my god,” he said, and he could feel Derek’s grin against his shoulder and neck. ”I try to see it from the bright side, at least there are no inappropriate boners,” Stiles said and Derek’s soft laugh shook his body slightly.

 

• **•D•** •

Derek knew they shouldn’t have gone out so late. He shouldn’t have brought Stiles at all, it would have been better to ask Scott, he was a werewolf, he wasn’t as _fragile_ as Stiles, but they had researched kelpies together and then Stiles had been so excited to go and talk to her, and Derek was weak. He was too weak when it came to Stiles, he could never say no, and there they were, with Stiles still shivering every time Derek so much as thought about moving. His heartbeat had picked up at least, and he wasn’t as slurry or confused, but he was getting tired instead and Derek was scared.

He wondered if their phones had survived, Stiles’ probably hadn’t since he had been in the water way too long, but hopefully Derek’s was okay, he didn’t think he had been more than thigh deep in the water when he got Stiles out. He considered going up and getting it so he could call Melissa and ask, but he didn’t want to leave Stiles.

“I’m okay, big guy,” Stiles said tiredly against Derek’s collarbone.

They were on their sides, facing each other, and Derek had his arms and one leg around Stiles, trying to cocoon him with his warmth as much as he could. He moved them around occasionally to make sure Stiles got warm all over.

“I know,” Derek said and Stiles hummed and nuzzled against him.

He was falling asleep, and Derek didn’t know what to do.

“You got me,” Stiles mumbled. “You killed her and you got me.”

“Always,” Derek said quietly and Stiles burrowed in closer against him, which in itself was a feat considering how close they already were.

Soon Stiles breathing evened out in sleep and Derek swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut, but he stayed where he was.

After a while he moved them again, and he was glad when he felt the bed was warm where Stiles had been. Not as warm as it could be, as it _should_ be, but not cold as it had been until then. He turned Stiles around and spooned him from behind instead, and Stiles grumbled a little in his sleep, but didn’t wake up. Derek took Stiles’ hands in his and held them against Stiles’ chest, and he made sure to touch as much of him as he physically could as they laid there.

He didn’t know how long he stayed in bed with Stiles, but eventually Stiles felt warm enough that Derek dared to sneak out of bed. He emptied both Stiles’ and his own pockets, then he put all their clothes in the washing machine and started it. He got back to the bed and sat down next to Stiles and put a hand on his shoulder, but he still felt warm, so he checked his phone and it started nicely. It was 1 am though, so he didn’t want to call Melissa. After starting to write a text about what had happened five times and deleted them all because he didn’t want to scare her he decided to call the hospital instead.

He told the nurse that answered the phone everything he had done and she calmly told him that being tired after being hypothermic wasn’t strange at all, and as long as Stiles was warm he had done the right thing, and that he should be fine once he had gotten some sleep. Derek thanked her and when he had hung up he put his hands over his face and sobbed.

“S’wrong?” Stiles slurred and Derek huffed out a laugh.

“Nothing’s wrong, go back to sleep,” he said and Stiles flopped a hand out from under the covers to pat Derek’s arm.

“Mm’kay,” he said, then his hand moved down Derek’s arm until he found his hand, that he took and squeezed. “You too.”

“Yeah, okay,” Derek said quietly, then he scooted in under the covers again, and Stiles latched onto him immediately before humming contentedly and falling back asleep.

Derek didn’t fall asleep for a long time, he was too worried and worked up, and eventually Stiles started to push the covers off himself, complaining about being too warm even though he barely woke up to do so, so Derek pushed the extra blankets to the floor. Stiles was still warm, and he kept warm even with less covers, so Derek finally relaxed enough to fall asleep.

 

• **•S•** •

Stiles woke up on his back with Derek’s head on his shoulder and one of Derek’s arms across his stomach with his hand loosely cupping Stiles’ hip. Derek also had a leg casually thrown over Stiles’ leg, and Stiles groaned quietly when he remembered they were still very naked. Derek startled awake at the sound and got up on his elbow and put a hand on Stiles’ chest as he looked down at him.

“Are you okay?” he asked and Stiles blinked once before nodding.

“Yeah,” he croaked and cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’m fine, I just woke up,” he said.

“You’re not cold?” Derek asked and Stiles smiled at him.

“I’m not cold, I’m fine, thank you,” he said.

Derek kind of deflated, and he closed his eyes as he let his head fall to Stiles’ chest again.

“Sorry,” he mumbled and Stiles put a hand over the back of his neck.

“Don’t be,” he said softly. “Thanks for everything.”

Derek huffed against his chest but didn’t move. ”Please don’t do that again,” he said and Stiles could feel how tense he was getting.

“I promise I’ll try,” Stiles said and Derek huffed again and raised his head to look at him.

“You’ll try?” he asked and shook his head. “You know that’s bullshit, right? You won’t try shit the next time something happens, you’ll be too caught up in being in the middle of everything and trying to save lives or fix things, and you’ll get hurt again, but next time maybe I’ll be too late? Maybe it won’t be enough to just stay up half the night to get you warm? Next time maybe you’ll be dead.”

He moved away from Stiles and flopped down on his back with an arm over his eyes and Stiles just stayed where he was, staring up at the ceiling for a long time. 

”I’m sorry,” he said eventually and looked over at Derek, who huffed out a breath but otherwise didn’t move, so Stiles said it again, ”I’m sorry, Derek.”

“Yeah, I know,” Derek said quietly.

“No, Derek, I mean it, I’m sorry,” Stiles repeated and moved up so he was leaning on his arm and looking at Derek. “I know how hard it is to see people you care about getting hurt, and I’m sorry for doing that to you. You’re right, but I am sorry, I really am.”

Derek slowly moved his arm and looked at Stiles. He looked tired and guarded as he spoke. “I know,” he said again, his voice soft and sad. “I know, Stiles,” he repeated and turned his back to Stiles.

Stiles carefully put a hand on Derek’s side. “In my defence, you’re the same,” he said quietly. ”I always worry about you and I hate it. I hate knowing you willingly put your life on the line for others, so others won’t have to.”

Derek sighed and turned to his back again. ”I have to, you don’t,” he said and Stiles frowned at him. 

”How do you figure that?” he asked. 

”I’m a werewolf, I’m me, you’re… you.” Derek shrugged and kept looking at the ceiling. 

”Wow, that was the worst argument I have heard I think,” Stiles said and Derek sighed. ”No, really. I’m me and you’re you?”

”And I’m a Hale, a werewolf, I’m not very easy to kill,” Derek said.

”Uh, yes you are? I mean, I could easily kill you if I wanted to?”

”Sure, _you_ could, but the kelpie couldn’t. She was pretty close to killing you though.”

”Derek, I know what you’re saying, and yes, I am easier to kill than you, but I also have fucking _invaluable_ assets. I’m not going to stop being involved if there’s even a chance I can help, you know that.”

”Yeah, I do,” Derek said and finally turned his head to look at Stiles. ”I know, Stiles. I’m not- I’m not trying to stop you or saying you can’t keep doing what you’re doing, but I’ve slept,” he turned to look at the clock, ”three hours because I’ve been scared you were dying, because when the hypothermia was finally going away the exhaustion kicked in and you _fell asleep_. I didn’t know that would happen, I called the hospital and they told me it was expected, but even then I couldn’t sleep, not until you started complaining about being warm and actually stayed warm despite not being under four covers. So, I don’t know, knowing that you’ll do it again and again, I don’t know, I just… I’m tired, Stiles, and I’m scared, and I wish I could trust you’d stay alive, but I can’t, and there’s nothing I can do about it, so right now I just want to sleep, okay?”

Stiles swallowed roughly and nodded. 

”Yeah, sure, of course,” he said, then he repeated himself, ”I’m sorry.”

”I know,” Derek said again, and then he turned his back to Stiles again. ”Our clothes are in the washing machine, you can put them in the dryer if you want to, and you know where my stuff is to borrow.”

”Okay, thank you,” Stiles said quietly. 

He laid down again and watched Derek’s back for a long time. Derek was stiff at first, but eventually he relaxed more until he finally fell asleep again, and Stiles quietly got out of bed. He borrowed sweatpants and a t-shirt, then he went to the laundry room to move their clothes to the dryer. His phone and the rest of the things he had had in his pockets were in a little pile on a counter in there too, so he grabbed it and went to the living room where his laptop was. He booted it up as he tried his phone, but it was dead, no surprise there.

After spending an hour online, talking to his dad, telling him what had happened, and looking for a new phone, he got up to check the dryer, but he stopped on the way there to stand in the doorway to Derek’s bedroom and creepily watch him sleep for a couple of minutes. Eventually he made it to the laundry room and got their clothes out. He folded everything neatly, but left it where it was, then he made himself a sandwich and went back to his laptop to wait for Derek to wake up.

 

• **•D•** •

The second time Derek woke up was much more pleasant than the first. He woke up slowly with his face pressed against Stiles’ thigh as Stiles softly carded his fingers through Derek’s hair. Derek rumbled low in his chest and squeezed Stiles’ leg tight and he heard Stiles huff a soft laugh.

”Morning,” Stiles said quietly. ”Want me to start the coffee?”

”Soon,” Derek said and nuzzled his thigh, then he stiffened as he realized what he was doing. ”Sorry,” he mumbled and rolled away from Stiles.

”Don’t be,” Stiles said softly as he kept carding his fingers through Derek’s hair. ”I don’t mind. Is this okay?”

”Yeah,” Derek croaked.

”You remember after that party when you drove me home and stayed with me?” Stiles asked.

”Yeah,” Derek said.

”You remember I told you I love you?”

”Yeah.” There was no chance he’d ever forget that.

”Yeah. See, the thing is, I don’t just love you like I love Scott or dad, I’m _in_ love with you.” Stiles voice was soft and careful and his heartbeat steady and Derek opened his eyes and looked up at him.

”Yeah?” he asked, and Stiles smiled a small smile down at him.

”Yeah,” he said. ”I don’t know if you feel the same, but I need you to know. I’m sorry I scared you last night, I’m sorry I kept you up most of the night, I’m sorry for not being more careful. I’m _not_ sorry for following you into whatever danger you’re heading into though, and I’ll never apologize for that. I don’t care what you feel about me, I’ll always want you safe and happy, and I’ll always strive for that, and as long as you have the life you have and allow me to be a part of it I’ll always jump into danger if it means protecting you. I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable or scared, that’s not what I want, but I need you to know how important you are to me, if nothing else so you understand how much it scares me seeing you close to death. I’m not saying that makes it okay, that it makes it _fair_ or anything, but that’s how it is. I’m terrified of losing you all the time, even now, especially now.”

”What-,” Derek started but stopped himself and dragged a hand over his face. ”You can’t just say shit like this when I’ve just woken up.”

Stiles huffed a laugh at that. ”Sorry, I’ve had a few hours to think about it.”

Derek moved his hand and looked up at Stiles again. He was biting his lower lip as he watched Derek, but he let it go to smile hesitantly. 

”Come here?” Derek asked and lifted a hand, and Stiles’ smile grew bigger as he scooted down and laid down on his side and leaned on an elbow next to Derek, who cupped his cheek and lifted his head towards him. 

Stiles leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, then he pulled back and looked intently at Derek, a slight frown on his face. 

”You want this?” he asked cautiously.

”Yeah,” Derek said. ”You. I want you,” he clarified and Stiles smiled again as he leaned in and pressed another kiss to his lips.

“Are you sure though?” Stiles asked as he pulled back again. “I mean, this changes nothing, I’m still me, I’ll still do stupid shit.”

“I’m sure,” Derek said. “And I know, I don’t expect you to change.”

“And it’s not some, I don’t know, ‘thank god you’re alive’-thing either?” Stiles asked and used one hand to make air quotes. “Like, it’s. You want me? For me?”

“Yeah, I’m surprised too,” Derek said with a grin and Stiles turned his head away to laugh.

“Oh my god,” he said, then he leaned in to press a kiss to Derek’s mouth. “You’re such an asshole. I have coffee prepared and I was gonna cook you breakfast, I was thinking pancakes, but now I’m not sure.”

“Yeah?” Derek asked and Stiles grinned at him.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Maybe I can convince you to anyway,” Derek said, then he easily moved them until he was hovering over Stiles and grinning down at him.

“Maybe,” Stiles said, and he sounded a little breathless, so Derek leaned down to kiss him.

They stayed in bed for a long while, just kissing and occasionally talking and grinning at each other, but eventually they made it out of bed and Stiles did make them pancakes as Derek sipped on his coffee, smiling like an idiot the whole time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I miss any tags? Please let me know.
> 
> Thank you for reading ♥


	6. +1, Cuddles

• **•D•** •

“Hi!” Stiles called as he closed the door behind him and Derek smiled.

It was almost two weeks after the kelpie, after they had gotten together, and Stiles’ work had been intense the last few days, he had worked seven days in a row and long shifts too. He had the next couple of days off though, and he was going to spend them at Derek’s. It was the first time he would spend the night, and Derek looked forward to it.

“In here,” he called, and then he listened as Stiles grunted before he loudly kicked off his shoes, then stumbled over something, and then finally showed up in the doorway to the living room, still in his deputy uniform.

“Hey,” Stiles said with a smile.

“Hi,” Derek said and held his hand out for Stiles, who took it and let himself be steered to Derek’s lap that he straddled. “Hungry?”

“No, just tired,” Stiles said and leaned his head on Derek’s shoulder.

“Did you eat today?” Derek asked and Stiles hummed a little.

“Yes?” he said eventually.

“Are you asking me?” Derek asked.

“No, I mean, ugh, okay, I haven’t eaten properly, _dad_ ,” Stiles said as he sat back up and looked at Derek. “I ate lunch, then I had a snickers bar and some chips.”

“Okay, will you eat a sandwich if I make one for you?” Derek asked and Stiles sighed deeply.

“Yes, I will,” he said and Derek smiled at him.

“Good,” he said and held Stiles tight as he stood up.

Stiles yelped and grabbed Derek’s shoulders, and Derek grinned at him.

“Asshole,” Stiles said softly before leaning in to press a kiss to Derek’s mouth.

“Mhm,” Derek agreed, and when he got to the kitchen he sat Stiles on the counter and pressed a kiss to his mouth before going to make them a sandwich each. “Chicken?” Derek asked.

“Okay,” Stiles said and Derek looked at him. “Yes, please, chicken is great, oh I am so hungry,” Stiles deadpanned and Derek couldn’t help but grin.

“Okay, chicken it is,” he said. He went to the fridge to get stuff, and then he held out a package of bacon. “Want me to fry some?”

When Stiles didn’t immediately say anything Derek looked over to find him looking at the bacon with his brows furrowed while biting his lip, then he looked at Derek.

“Yes, please?” he said. “If you want to? I mean, it’s just a sandwich, but it’s so much better with bacon, but it takes time and dishes and-”

“I’ll fry some,” Derek interrupted. “It’s fine. I can heat up the chicken a little in the pan too.”

“Okay,” Stiles said quietly.

Derek got a pan and started the stove, then he went over to Stiles to cup his face.

“It’s no bother, I promise.” He pressed a kiss to Stiles’ mouth, and when he pulled back Stiles moved his head and put a hand over his mouth as he yawned.

“Sorry,” he said through the yawn, then he looked at Derek and smiled. “Thank you.”

Frying some bacon didn’t take very long, and he put the chicken on low heat when he was done, then he made the sandwiches as Stiles leaned against the cupboard behind his head. He was watching Derek work with his eyes half closed, and when Derek put the finished sandwiches on plates on the table he looked like he was more asleep than awake. Derek poured them a glass of milk each, then he walked up to Stiles and wrapped his arms around him.

“Let's eat so we can get you to bed, you look like you’re about to keel over,” he said softly and Stiles blinked and smiled at him.

“Mm,” he said and rested his head on Derek’s shoulder, making Derek huff out a laugh.

“Yeah, come on,” he said and gently tugged Stiles closer to the edge of the counter.

“Oh,” Stiles said, then he wobbly got down to his feet with Derek’s hands on his waist to help him keep steady. “You’re done?”

“Did you seriously fall asleep sitting on the counter?” Derek asked and Stiles looked confused.

“What? No, I just… uh. Maybe?” He turned sheepish as he spoke and Derek shook his head.

“Oh my god, how are you still alive?”

“Oh, I’m very durable,” Stiles said with a grin. They sat down at the table to eat, and Stiles moaned around the sandwich as he chewed. “This is amazing,” he said, with his mouth full, and Derek laughed softly.

“You’re so charming,” he said and took a bite of his own.

Stiles got more alert as he ate, and his appetite seemed good. He praised the sandwich a lot, and he talked as they ate.

”Go get ready for bed, I’ll clean up here and join you soon,” Derek said when they were done.

”Thank you,” Stiles said.

He pressed a kiss to Derek’s cheek before going to Derek’s bedroom and Derek quickly rinsed the plates and glasses and put them in the dishwasher. He left the pan for the next morning, but he quickly wiped down the counter and the table. He went to join Stiles, who was wearing a pair of Derek’s pajama pants and brushing his teeth when Derek got to the bathroom, and he brushed his teeth next to Stiles. When Stiles was done he pressed another kiss to Derek’s cheek before leaving the bathroom. Derek finished soon, and when he got to the bed Stiles was on his side with the covers pulled high, and he smiled tiredly at Derek.

”Hi,” he said softly.

”Hi,” Derek said and crawled in next to him.

”C’mere?” Stiles asked and moved so he was mostly on his back with an arm out for Derek. 

Derek scooted in close and put his head on Stiles’ shoulder, and Stiles immediately put a hand in his hair. They held their hands on Stiles’ chest and Derek put a leg over Stiles’, and Stiles sighed contentedly.

“Good?” Derek asked.

“Very good,” Stiles said and pressed a kiss to Derek’s forehead. “I’m about to fall asleep though.”

“Good,” Derek said. “Night, Stiles.”

“Night, Derek,” Stiles said and he already sounded half asleep. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” Derek said quietly and Stiles stilled a moment before taking a deep breath and pressing another kiss to Derek’s forehead.

“Good,” Stiles said quietly, and Derek breathed out softly against him.

“Yeah,” he agreed.

Stiles soon fell asleep, and Derek stayed where he was and listened to his soft breathing and the steady beating of his heart until he fell asleep too.

 

• **•S•** •

Stiles woke up smothered by Derek’s warm skin, and it took him a moment to understand that he was being cradled tight against Derek’s chest and that his face was pressed against Derek’s throat. And Derek called him an octopus, jesus. He tried to scoot back a little so he wouldn’t die from heat exhaustion, but Derek just clung tighter and Stiles groaned. He really loved that Derek was so cuddly, but he also liked to breathe and live, so he pushed back harder, and Derek let go with a low whine, and Stiles almost climbed right back in, because that sound? No. Just no.

He stopped himself though, instead he pushed a little more at Derek so he moved to his back with a grumble, an adorable sleeping grumble, Stiles wouldn’t have been surprised if he was pouting in his sleep. When Stiles got up on an elbow to look he wasn’t pouting though, but his brows were furrowed unhappily, and Stiles put his hand on Derek’s cheek. His heart melted right in his chest when the furrow went away with the touch and Derek leaned his head slightly against his hand, and he leaned down to press a kiss to Derek’s forehead before laying down with his head on Derek’s shoulder.

Derek immediately wrapped his arm around Stiles, and he was on his way to moving back to his side, so Stiles pushed against his other shoulder.

“No, it’s too warm,” he said quietly, and Derek stilled, so Stiles reached down to take his hand and move it to his chest so he could hold it.

Derek really was a living furnace though, and even this was bordering on too warm for Stiles, but he couldn’t really deal with Derek’s sad faces and whines, especially not when Derek was actually sleeping, not when things were so new between them. He hoped he would gain some sort of resistance against sleeping Derek eventually, but for the time being he stayed where he was. It was nice though, even if it was warm, really nice, and Stiles loved it, so it wasn’t like it was a hardship to lay there.

Eventually Derek relaxed his grip, and when Stiles chanced a look his face was slack in sleep. He smiled and nuzzled against Derek’s chest as he laid his head back down, but after a while he carefully moved until he was sitting with his back against the headboard. Derek stayed where he was, peacefully sleeping, so after watching him for a minute or five Stiles took his phone from the bedside table and quickly got stuck in a wikipedia hole.

After some time Derek moved to his side and grabbed Stiles’ leg, and Stiles absentmindedly put a hand in his hair to card his fingers through it as Derek nuzzled his thigh before stilling with his face pressed against the soft cotton of the pajama pants Stiles shamelessly had borrowed the previous evening. He was a little amazed that Derek could breathe, but he seemed just fine as he laid there, so Stiles went back to his wikipedia hole and quickly lost track of time again.

The next time Derek moved Stiles could tell he was waking up. He nuzzled against Stiles leg and sighed contentedly and Stiles smiled down at him.

“Morning,” he said softly, and Derek grunted something against his leg. “Sleep well?”

“Mm,” Derek said, then barely understandable against Stiles’ leg, “you?”

“Yeah, woke up being smothered to death by werewolf cuddles, but I managed to survive, barely,” Stiles said and Derek opened one eye to squint up at him.

“Sorry,” he said and Stiles smiled.

“Don’t be, it’s fine,” he said and Derek closed his eye with a grunt before nuzzling against Stiles’ leg again. “Coffee?” Stiles asked and Derek sighed deeply.

“In a bit,” he mumbled.

“Okay, will you let me get up so I can pee?”

Derek immediately let go of Stiles’ leg and moved back a little.

“Sorry,” he said again, clearer though, without anything pressed against his mouth.

“It’s okay,” Stiles said. “You like your morning cuddles, I get that, I like them too.”

Derek just grunted and kept his eyes closed, so Stiles moved so he could lean down and press a kiss to his temple, then he went to pee. When he came back Derek was on his back with an arm over his eyes, and Stiles climbed up on the bed and pressed a kiss to it. Derek moved his arm and looked at Stiles, his smile a little cautious, and Stiles smiled back.

“Do you want to sleep more?” he asked and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“No,” Derek said.

“Do you want more morning cuddles?”

Derek looked hesitantly at him before nodding minutely.

“Yeah, if you want to,” he said quietly and Stiles smiled and moved to lay down more or less on top of Derek, his face tucked against Derek’s neck.

“I always want cuddles with you,” he said and kissed his neck, and Derek sighed and wrapped his arms around him and held him tight.

“Good,” Derek said.

Derek really was an expert cuddler, and Stiles was comfortable as he laid there with Derek’s hand slowly stroking his back. Stiles moved his arms up and around Derek’s head and put one hand in his hair and Derek sighed contentedly.

”Do you have plans or things that needs to be done today?” Stiles asked after a while.

”No, not anything more than food,” Derek said, and his voice was soft even as it was a little sleep rough still. ”Why?”

”I was thinking we could move this to the couch in a while, make coffee and breakfast, then watch a movie or something. Just have a really lazy day.”

”That sounds nice,” Derek said and Stiles smiled against his neck.

”It does, doesn’t it?” he said.

They stayed like until Derek’s stomach grumbled and Stiles laughed softly against his neck, and Derek almost yelped as he tried to hold Stiles still.

”Stop it, fuck, my bladder,” he said, which only made Stiles laugh more, and soon Derek flipped them over and glared down at Stiles, who tried to stifle his laughter, but he couldn’t stop it and eventually Derek left him there to go to the bathroom.

”Sorry,” Stiles called to the closed door, then he laid there grinning until Derek came back to glare more at him. He climbed up so he was straddling Stiles’ hips, and Stiles hands automatically went to Derek’s thighs. ”Hi,” he said and Derek’s glare fell and he smiled instead.

”Hi,” he said and when Stiles reached his hands up and lifted his head a little he leaned down to kiss him.

”This is also nice,” Stiles said after a moment and Derek groaned and moved his head to rest it against Stiles’ shoulder.

”I’m not awake enough for this,” he said and Stiles smiled and stroked his back comfortingly.

”Let’s go make you a gallon of coffee and some breakfast,” he said and Derek sighed but sat back up.

”Yeah,” he said, then he didn’t move at all, just sat there looking at Stiles.

Stiles lifted his eyebrows in question and Derek groaned and kind of fell down right beside Stiles. He grabbed a pillow and pressed his face against it and Stiles patted his shoulder consolingly.

”Okay, how about I go start the coffee?” Stiles asked and Derek grunted against the pillow. ”Okay, I’ll be right back.”

Stiles pressed a kiss to Derek’s shoulder, then he went to start the coffee and when it was brewing he went back to the bedroom. Derek was still on his stomach, still holding the pillow in his arms, but he had moved his head a little and he looked at Stiles when he came in. Stiles climbed up on the bed and sprawled out on top of Derek, who grunted in complaint but smiled, so Stiles pressed a kiss to his cheek and relaxed.

”Good?” he asked.

”Yeah,” Derek admitted and Stiles nuzzled against his cheek.

”Good,” he said.

Stiles squeezed an arm in under Derek, only made possible because Derek lifted his chest when he noticed, and he managed to locate one of Derek’s hands by the pillow and he entwined their fingers and held Derek tight.

”Good,” Derek agreed and they stayed like that until Derek spoke a while later. ”Coffee’s done,” he said.

”Okay, want me to bring you some?” Stiles asked and Derek squeezed his hand a little.

”Thank you, but no, I’ll come with you,” he said.

Stiles pressed another kiss to Derek’s cheek then he climbed off him so they could go, and Derek sat down in a chair the moment he had his coffee, so Stiles rooted in his cupboards a little, then he checked the fridge and the freezer while Derek frowned slightly at him.

”What are you looking for?” he asked eventually.

”Trying to figure out our options for breakfast,” Stiles said.

”Oh,” Derek said and went back to his coffee.

”Any wishes?” Stiles asked and Derek shrugged.

”Nah, whatever’s cool,” he said and Stiles walked over to him and straddled his legs to sit in his lap. Derek looked a little confused when Stiles cupped his face and pressed kisses everywhere, but he wrapped one arm around his waist almost as an unconscious reaction. ”What?”

”You know when we first met?” Stiles said and Derek cringed a little but nodded. ”And like, the first year we knew each other?” Derek nodded again. ”Yeah, I mean, I kinda maybe fell in love with you somewhere around the pool with angry Jackson, but I am _so glad_ I get to see this you.”

Derek was frowning slightly up at him. ”Okay,” he said hesitantly.

”You’ve always been so collected and in control, you’ve always behaved like you have to look like you know what you’re doing, and now you’re sitting in your kitchen in just pajama pants, letting me root around everywhere and shrugging and saying _nah, whatever’s cool_ , and it just really makes me happy to see how much you’ve relaxed, and how much you relax around me.”

Derek smiled and tilted his head down a little, so Stiles pressed a kiss to his forehead.

”Okay,” Derek said, then he turned his head back up so he was looking straight at Stiles as he smiled broadly. ”I’m glad. That I can make you happy in any way.”

”You make me happy in all the ways,” Stiles said softly and Derek’s smile widened before he hid it against Stiles’ throat.

”You too, you make me happy too,” he said and Stiles put a hand against Derek’s neck and the other on his back and held him tight as he smiled into his hair. 

”How about a greasy breakfast with bacon and eggs and hash browns and blueberry pancakes?” Stiles asked after a moment. ”Would that make you happy too?”

Derek huffed a little laugh against Stiles throat and nodded.

”Yeah, it would,” he said.

Stiles moved his hands to cup Derek’s cheeks and guided his head so he could look at him, then he pressed a soft kiss to his forehead and when he backed up again Derek’s eyes were closed and he was smiling, a small but soft smile.

”Good,” Stiles said. ”You stay here and drink coffee and I’ll make you breakfast.”

”I can help too,” Derek said.

”I know, but you made me this amazing sandwich last night, so it’s my turn now,” Stiles said and Derek smiled.

”Okay, if you say so,” he said and Stiles nodded.

”I do say so.”

He pressed another kiss to Derek’s forehead, then he got up and started making breakfast. He talked to Derek as he did, and Derek sat there and smiled and drank his coffee for a long time, but then he got up and set the table and helped Stiles finish up. They ate in the kitchen and when they were done Derek insisted on leaving the dishes for later, so Stiles just rinsed their plates and silverware and put in the dishwasher but left the rest on and in the sink.

Stiles got to the couch first, and he grinned at Derek as he sprawled out on it, but Derek just smiled back and sprawled out on top of him. Stiles grunted at his weight but quickly wrapped his arms around him, and Derek nuzzled against his ear and cheek as he relaxed on top of him.

”Okay,” Stiles said and Derek sighed contentedly.

”Yeah,” he said. ”Okay.”

And yeah, it really was okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I miss a tag? Please let me know!
> 
> Thank you for reading, any comments and kudos are deeply appreciated ♥


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